Dreamy Gaming Artwork at iam8bit

You may have noticed an interesting illustration in my recent Sonic article that that depicts a more realistic version of Mario and Princess Peach.

Since I published the article, I have received a number of emails asking about the painting’s origin and where they can find a larger version.

The piece is called “The M.K.” was created for the iam8bit art show (which many of my readers might already be familiar with) by Jose Emroca Flores.

The iam8bit show was a very ambitious and impressive effort that encouraged artists of various disciplines to create unique artwork that gave various interpretations of classic video games.

While it is a shame that I wasn’t able to go to the actual art show, there are a couple different ways to enjoy the artwork.

First of all, you can visit the show’s website. There you can find some desktop wallpapers (including the Mario and Princess piece) and have the opportunity to buy some art prints. Unfortunately, the selection is limited in the prints and some of the prices are out of reach of the typical gamer.

If you are looking for a more affordable way of enjoying all the artwork, I encourage you to buy the iam8bit book. Much like those fancy art coffee table books you see in Barnes and Noble, the iam8bit book features numerous pages of full color artwork from (as far as I know) all the artwork from the show.

My only complaint is there is not a hardcover edition. However, the editor shared their reasoning for this decision on Amazon’s page…

“We chose to publish the i am 8-bit book as a paperback because the materials and manufacturing costs of a hardcover would have significantly increased the retail price. the spirit of the book (and the art exhibitions upon which it is based) has such a community vibe that we felt it was important to keep the pricepoint as accessible as possible. at the same time, we gave this book’s production a lot of TLC, which is reflected in the cover’s cool UV varnish on the ms. pac-man grenade, sophisticated french flaps, paper quality, and color reproduction on the artists’ fun and beautiful artwork.”

Bottom line: if you like creative artwork and classic gaming, you need to check out the iam8bit project. Some of it will blow your mind!